Lang Liêu: The Prince and the Precious Rice Cakes

In ancient Vietnam, there once lived a King called Hung Vuong. He was a benevolent king who ruled wisely and with much kindness. As Hung Vuong grew old, he had to pick one of his children to succeed him. To help him decide, the sons were given an important task to prepare a meal fit for a king. The two older sons journeyed to the farthest lands to find the rarest ingredients.

The youngest, Lang Liêu, was a humble prince who merely prepared a simple meal with great care, using locally harvested rice grains, Vietnam's most precious edible commodity. While his brothers impressed their father with exotic dishes using the most exclusive ingredients, Lang Liêu fashioned simple glutinous rice cakes for the king—the bánh chưng and bánh giầy. Who will win the crown and rule the land? © 2020 by Catherine Khoo. Published in paper format in Singapore by Epigram Books, recorded by Storyside 2020.